#muse — arthur hartman

[notelasts]

@cannotfly said i’ve missed you these days. / arthur

“Sorry.” He pulls Johanna into his side and kisses the top of her head. “I’ve been busy.” If busy means going to a casino and wasting all his money, then sure. Arthur’s been busy. He doesn’t really have an excuse for it. He just has to hope Johanna hasn’t noticed anything off. He’s been good at hiding it so far. His tuition money is almost out, though. He’s not sure what he’s going to do once it runs out, but he’ll worry about that later. “I didn’t keep you waiting for too long, did I?”

[notelasts]

He can’t quite help his laugh. Sneaking into a fair after hours is probably one of the more tame things Arthur has done in his life. “No.” He’s not planning on doing any breaking and entering tonight. He slides his arms around Johanna’s waist and kisses her forehead softly. “We won’t get arrested, don’t worry.” He tugs gently at her hand, leading her down the road to the boardwalk. “It’s a surprise.”

He doesn’t know if Johanna likes surprises or not. He hopes she does. And even if she doesn’t, he hopes she likes this one. He leads her down to the beach and proudly gestures to where he’s set up a blanket and a little basket of food. “You can see the stars for miles out here. It’s gorgeous.” He’s only done it a few times, but it’s been breathtaking every time.

@notefinal's arthur hartman says, " come on, i know a place. "

❝ is it somewhere slightly illegal again? ❞

laced with honey and dewdrops of adoration, her voice hushes along in pure excitement. good girl finally breaking out. it makes her feel like a teenager, but not the kind of head-bowed, poured over books, paling when a teacher called on her, kind of girl. she exists a cocoon-like state to find herself throwing caution to the wind. just without the fear of curfews or... well, she is an adult. just experiencing this side of young rebellion for the first time. her hands lean on his. she has to contain herself from jumping up and down

( arthur kissed her when they went to that fair after-hours... will he do it again tonight? )

❝ i don't have any plans tonight. i don't mind if i get arrested. better yet, we don't get arrested and it can just be you and i wherever you plan on taking me. ❞ johanna breaks into a smile. ❝ but either way--- " she shrugs, as if she is as nonchalant as she wants to appear ( she's fairly certain she's failing, yet she doesn't care ) ❝ ---where are we going? ❞

[lilacmermaid25]

Books Read in 2019

Favourites in bold - ask me about any of them!

1. Tess of the Road (Rachel Hartman) 2. Isle of Blood and Stone (Makiia Lucier) 3. #Never Again: A new Generation Draws the Line (David and Lauren Hogg) 4. Leopard at the Door (Jennifer McVeigh) 5. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Philip Pullman) 6. The Invisible Library (Genevieve Cogman) 7. The Refrigerator Monologues ( Catherynne M Valente) 8. Ink, Iron and Glass (Gwendolyn Clare) 9. Inkmistress (Audrey Coulthurst) 10. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (Neil Stephenson and Nicole Galland) 11. The Silence of the Girls (Pat Barker) 12. The Turning (Emily Whitman) 13. Unbelievable (Katy Tur) 14. Cruel Beauty (Rosamund Hodge) 15. The Last Neanderthal (Claire Cameron) 16. Mask of Shadows (Lindsey Miller) 17. G'morning, G'night (Lin-Manuel Miranda) 18. Daughter of the Siren Queen (Tricia Levenseller) 19. River of Teeth (Sarah Gailey) 20. Ink (Alice Broadway) 21. Rule (Ellen Goodlett) 22. A Darker Shade of Magic (V.E. Schwab) 23. The Belles (Dhonielle Clayton) 24. Enchanted Islands (Allison Amend) 25. Crimson (Arthur Slade) 26. The Hours Count (Jillian Cantor) 27. For a Muse of Fire (Heidi Heilig) 28. Land of Love and Drowning (Tiphanie Yanique) 29. Stalking God (Anjali Kumar) 30. Rosemarked (Livia Blackburne) 31. All the Light we Cannot See (Anthony Doerr) 32. Mary B (Katherine J Chen) 33. All Rights Reserved (Gregory Scott Katsoulis) 34. Star of the North (D.B. John) 35. Origin (Dan Brown) 36. The Darkest Hour (Caroline Tung Richmond) 37. That Inevitable Victorian Thing (E.K. Johnston) 38. The Map of Lost Memories (Kim Fay) 39. The Oyster Thief (Sonia Faruqi) 40. The Temporary Bride (Jennifer Klinec) 41. Beneath the Citadel (Destiny Soria) 42. Dread Nation (Justina Ireland) 43. Mirage (Matt Ruff) 44. Daughters of the Storm (Kim Wilkins) 45. Pride (Ibi Zoboi) 46. How to Stop Time (Matt Haig) 47. Afterward (E.K. Johnston) 48. Word by Word (Kory Stamper) 49. The Taster (V.S. Alexander) 50. Seafire (Natalie C Parker) 51. The Black God's Drum (P Djeli Clark)

[notelasts]

@cannotfly liked for a starter

Arthur doesn’t really know what to say. He’s pretty sure there’s nothing he can say. He gambled away his wedding ring. Well, more accurately, he sold his wedding ring so he could have money to gamble. Not that Johanna cares about the difference. He doesn’t blame her. He knew it was a shitty thing to do and he did it anyway. He doesn’t think he’s ever felt more guilty in his entire life, and the issue is that he doesn’t feel as guilty as he thinks he should.

He shifts his weight, staring at the floor instead of his wife. He can’t bring himself to look at her. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to look at her again. “Johanna, I—.” There’s not much he can say to make this better. “I’m sorry.”

[notelasts]

starter call for the mike muses! if you don’t specify muse, you won’t get anything.

muses listed under the cut

rolf “riff lorton” lautmann

connor murphy

art donaldson (if you want a starter for art, please read this if you haven’t already, as i tend to set most art interactions post canon)

andrew “dodge” mason

johnathan robert “jack” twist, jr

arthur hartman

[notelasts]

Maybe she is haunting him. Maybe he’ll wake up under the pier, alone and shivering, and this will all have been a dream. Maybe they’re not getting remarried in a week. Maybe Arthur’s died and somehow ended up in heaven—not that he believes in heaven or hell or God—despite everything he did in life. He runs a gentle hand through Johanna’s hair. “It would be.” His voice is a quiet murmur. He doesn’t want to wake Pammy. He still doesn’t think he’s at all worthy of being her father, but he knows Johanna doesn’t like that particular line of thought, so he doesn’t say anything about it.

“Maybe.” He hasn’t really thought about his vows much. He doesn’t know if he’ll plan them or just get up there and say whatever comes to mind first. He knows he wants to apologize for ruining Johanna’s life, but that seems a little self absorbed, so maybe he won’t. “Oh?” He grins at her, shifting a little so that he can look at her comfortably. “And what might that sneak peek entail?”

@notefinal's arthur hartman says, " i love you. i close my eyes and see you every time. "

there's a lacey robin egg-colored dress peaking out between the closest doors. the tag for the designer is draped over her night stand. the first time ever something has been out-of-place in this room. the only thing that's in here that doesn't belong. johanna turns to lie on her other shoulder, smiling against arthur's chest. if it were a few years ago, she would shriek and shoo at him to get out! didn't he know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding? this year, she wraps an arm around his torso. their daughter is sleeping just next door. if they're quiet enough, they can hear her mumbling to herself while dreaming. she has a dress of the same shade in her own dresser and a hair ribbon to match.

❝ it sounds like i'm haunting you, ❞ johanna whispers back, cheek pressed against him so it's more mumbled than intended. ❝ i'm very much alive, i promise. it would be quite awkward if you discovered you were accidentally remarrying a ghost. ❞ her other hand worms it's way to her face, to wipe the sleep from her eyes. she grins when she can open them and see arthur. it'll be a simple courthouse wedding: similar to when they were first married, his mother and sister in attendance and paloma to hold their rings. she can't wait for him to slip it onto her finger again. ❝ i love you, too. " another smile. ❝ are you giving me a preview of our vows? it may take me some convincing but--- ❞ a kiss to his cheek, hinting at what she's wanting, ❝ ---i may also give a sneak peak to what i'm going to say. ❞ birds of a feather, back to sticking together.

[notelasts]

Good. He would’ve felt bad if he’d kept her waiting. He rubs her side gently, trying to calm her down as much as he’s trying to calm himself down. He doesn’t think Johanna suspects anything—he doesn’t think anyone suspects anything—but he’s always worried he’s going to do something and slip up. He doesn’t need her worrying about him. He doesn’t need anyone worrying about him. He’s fine. He just needs to find more money before his tuition runs out. But he will. He will. He’ll win something one of these days. He will. “I’m fine. I’ve just been—busy.” He feels stupid for not having an actual reason, but he can’t think of anything that won’t arouse suspicion. “I’ve missed you, too.” He sighs quietly. “We should do something. Go to the library or the beach or something.”

she waits for him to explain what "busy" was, but frowns when she doesn't get an answer. shouldn't they be telling each other everything? whenever something happens to her, waiting to tell arthur is unbearable. ❝ no. it wasn't bad at all. ❞ arms clasp behind her back as she leans into his embrace. it's difficult to act casual when her stomach is in a nauseating knot of concern and heartsickness. ❝ but i feel like i haven't seem you much at all recently. i miss you. ❞ she moves a hand to wrap around him. ❝ are you alright? ❞